My new patio table

I’ve been hunting for cheap deck furniture for a while. I found this set on Craig’s List for $50. It is constructed well, but it is old and the paint fell prey to the humid weather here in Seattle. It had lots of mold and moss living on it.

Cleaning: The first step was to clean and sand off all the peeling paint. I used a sander and steel wool and elbow grease.

Priming: I couldn’t decide if I wanted an aqua-blue table set or a brown set. So, I started with brown primer to get the feel first. It seemed too drab, so I decided to go blue. But, once I got a blue chair painted, I fell in love with the idea of an odd chair, and decided to stick with the brown for the rest. For the distressed look on the blue chair, I learned after I’d done it the wrong way, that you can use a wax over the primer to seal it before painting over it. That way, when you rub off the top coat, the primer stays put and the bare wood doesn’t peek through, creating a rotting hazard.

Carving: I used a Dremel tool with the “writing” attachment to carve. I found the design by searching for dandelion silhouette online. Carving is fun! I used the contrasting paint to fill in the carving, the carefully top coated to the edge of the carving.

Painting: Drips, drips, drips. I hate drips. It is meticulous work, but I like to paint a lot of thin coats to avoid the drips. I used an exterior semi-gloss and no sealer.

My inspiration

One of my favorite “handmade” blogs is a little shop in Massechusetts called Sticks and Bricks. The owner re-thinks old furniture with a new flair. I don’t think my carving is as precise as hers, but I guess it takes practice. I love her before and after posts.